Starting the week off right

Due to some baby-free time this weekend, I've been able to accomplish something extraordinary (for me): start off my week with a clean house. I'm a messy person by nature, as evidenced by piles of clutter on pretty much every surface, and I struggle to overcome the chaos when the fancy strikes me. This weekend, it struck twice.

First, my parents came to pick up D around 10:30 on Saturday morning, as Hubby and I had a wedding to attend; the venue for the ceremony and reception was about 45 minutes away, and we were glad to be able to stay late without worrying about transferring D from my parents' house to ours. (We did the same thing for another wedding at the same venue a few weeks ago, and it went beautifully.) Hubby was a groomsman, so he was getting ready with the other guys. My ride was due to arrive at 1pm, which left me two and a half hours to get myself ready, eat lunch, and do a little housework. We'd had company the night before, and because I wanted to talk to my guests rather than clean, the kitchen was a wreck. Our bedroom was a bit of a disaster, too, with laundry and odds and ends lying around. I cleaned up both areas, and then still had time to have lunch, dry my hair, and get dressed.

This evening, D went to bed earlier than usual due to a very short nap, so I seized the opportunity to vacuum the main level and mop the kitchen. I find it really difficult to do both when she's up and about, and although D hasn't been freaked out by it yet, the vacuum is pretty loud. As for the kitchen floor, I try to get it mopped once every couple of weeks, really just whenever it's too sticky for my bare feet. I sweep up debris on a daily basis, but a good mopping does wonders. If I'm feeling particularly ambitious (which I wasn't today), I'll mop the powder room and entrance way, or the upstairs bathrooms. Speaking of bathrooms, while I finished mopping the kitchen, Hubby asked if there was anything on my mental to-do list that he could help with. I was very grateful for his thoughtfulness, and suggested he clean our ensuite. Maybe tomorrow I can tackle the walk-in closet, and then our whole room will be tidy!

And now my week is off to a fresh start! They're forecasting rain from now through Thursday, so if we're going to be indoors a lot, it's just as well that the house is clean.

(D loved being outdoors for much of our days last week. This is on our front porch, where we spent a lot of time, and plan to continue!)